How the Wheel Turns
by Chibi-chan990
Summary: And thus the wheel of fate begins to turn. Who will it play for a fool next? No one knows...Tezuka is charged with taking care of Sakuno, but will others be interested in the job as well? What happens when Ryoma get jealous and Fuji wants to butt in?
1. Headaches

Chapter One: Headaches

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, I just enjoy tormenting them for my personal and twisted pleasures.

A/N: Well, this is my first PoT fanfic, so be nice! But don't hesitate to be critical, because I do aim to improve. I am looking to make this either a RyoSaku, TezuSaku, or FujiSaku fanfiction, so please vote on which pairing you would love to see in your comments!

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"_I have found power in the mysteries of thought,exaltation in the changing of the Muses;I have been versed in the reasonings of men;but Fate is stronger than anything I have known."—Euripides438 B.C._

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"So it's up to you, Tezuka. Please look after her for me while I'm gone. I just need you to make sure she gets to school and back home safely, since it's only been 2 weeks since school started, and she hasn't gotten familiar with the surroundings yet. Well, I'll be back in about three weeks, so I'm counting on you!"

Those were the last orders from his former couch, Ryuzaki Sumire, before she left for her trip to Osaka for some extensive training with her new tennis team.

It's been two years since Tezuka last set foot in Seigaku junior high, but he has kept in touch with Ryuzaki-sensei regularly, and by association, her granddaughter Sakuno as well.

The request itself was fine, but it was calm before the storm, for no amount of training could have prepared him for what happened with his team.

Now Tezuka has a headache.

"Hoi, hoi, Tezuka's been ordered to take care of Sakuno-chan!"

The first vein was made visible on Tezuka's head.

" Like a little sister!"

Followed by two more, even greater in size.

"Or maybe even like a little girlfri—"

"Fifty laps now, Kikumaru!" fortunately, he had interrupted before Kikumaru could finish his last comment, which would have erupted a cacophonous chatter among the rest of the regulars.

The old saying "rumors travel like wildfire" could not have been more true. In this case however, it only took him from the time he went to see Ryuzaki-sensei until he came back to discover that the regulars had already found out and were chatting animatedly amongst themselves about it.

He swears he's being stalked, and watched. Everywhere.

Hopefully with Kikumaru occupied with running laps, he won't have the time or the energy to stir up more conversation about the issue. If he does, Tezuka will just have to make sure he runs until he drops.

"Saa, Tezuka, I'm jealous. You'll get to spend more time with Sakuno-chan. Though I'm not so sure what Echizen will think of this, it's a good thing he has clean-up duty and isn't here yet, then? This will be very interesting indeed…" Fuji drifted off with his customary grin and mischievous tone.

Tezuka couldn't help but feel an obvious shudder go all the way down his spine. Fuji was up to something, he was sure of it.

Still, he was a captain, and had a reputation to maintain.

"Twenty laps, Fuji. Now." Stoic as he was, Tezuka definitely understood the perks of being captain of the team.

"Saa, such a touchy subject, ne Tezuka. I just hope you won't be this way when you are with Sakuno-chan."

"Ie, data…" That comment was more than enough to set off Inui's furious scribbling motion on his notepad, while he began to disclose a number of percentages about Tezuka's future love life.

It's a known fact: Fuji always had the last laugh.

"Wai! Tezuka's so mean! Maybe he'll make Sakuno-chan run laps too! How cruel!" Kikumaru exclaimed somewhat out-of-breath, having just finished the laps he was assigned.

A visible twitch was now begin to develop as Kikumaru clung to Tezuka and questioned him about his intentions towards Sakuno, while Inui continued to broadcast every aspect of Tezuka's relationships, friends, and acquaintances, and it was beginning to cross some very uncomfortable boundaries.

Tezuka suppressed the urge to sign, but massaged his forehead gently with his left hand. The headache was back.

Thus, the wheels of fate began to turn, who will it play for a fool next? Nobody knows.

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Well, that's all for the first chapter!

Fuji is definitely plotting, and what will Ryoma think?

Comment and vote for your favorite pairing!


	2. Two halves of a whole

Two Halves of a Whole Idiot

A/N : My first pitiful attempt at writing a TeniPuri fanfic. This chapter was actually written about a year earlier than the first chapter, but it should fit in a way, so I hope you all like it!

I forgot to clarify in the last chapter, but this is set in high school, about 3 years after the series, so they would be around 15 and 17.

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis….though I wish I did…

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Sakuno sighed, she had said the usual "arigato" to Ryoma-kun today, and he had replied with the normal nod of his head that let her know he was even remotely aware of her existence.

She said down on her desk, turning her thoughts back to the English textbook that lay open before her. It was covered with notes in neat handwriting and the occasional doodle, but the words and lessons were still Greek to Sakuno.

Sakuno had always been horrible in English; every word her sensei said seems to come in one ear and out the other. She was never distracted or inattentive, but no matter how much attention she paid, the words remained foreign to her.

One could almost say she disliked the class, if it wasn't for one crucial factor: Ryoma Echizen.

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Only in his first week of the freshman year of the Seigaku High School, Ryoma was already a regular of the Tennis team. Adored by fans from far and wide, he was also considered one of the best looking single men on campus along with the regulars. Not that he needed any more fame, Ryoma was more than willing to have some peace and quite to himself, after enduring screaming fans for almost more than 3 years now.

There was one fan in particular that he did mind so much about. In fact, if he weren't so clueless, he would have realized he enjoyed her presence quite a bit.

He was reminiscent of the day they met, on a subway train towards his first game in Japan. He had stopped some loudmouthed bullies from scaring her, though he did it unintentionally.

However, he wasn't regretting the fact that she was grateful to him and sought his companionship, and with the occasional homemade bento to boot.

Though he rarely let on that he acknowledged her presence, he was content with the way things were, and believed wholeheartedly that she'll stay near him for a long time to come.

To give him some credit, Ryoma did not fail to register that Sakuno had done some growing up. She had grown a few inches taller, her face less round and more angular, which gave her a sophisticated air, her hair was no longer in braids, but flowed smoothly behind her and gracefully rests on her new-found curves. Yes, the old "wobbly-hips" has grown into a young woman.

What Ryoma also picked up was that many of the other boys who were in their new high school had also realized that fact. Fortunately for him, many were the plain, regular kind, the ones who would never tell Sakuno that they like her.

There were few courageous ones, but a polite refusal from Sakuno and a murderous cold glare from him were enough to kill any further thoughts of them attempting to put a claim on Sakuno.

Why he felt the need to glare, he had not the slightest clue, so he figured he must've felt the need to repay her for her lunches by warding off who-knows-what kind of perverts that could come her way. After all, he enjoyed her bentos, and it would be a pain to have to start bringing his own lunch, not to mention the fact that if she left, he place would undoubtedly be filled by her loud and obnoxious best friend, and he can feel that headache a mile off.

Feeling satisfied with his theory, Ryoma continued to go about his blissfully ignorant life, completely unaware of his feelings, and anyone else's for that matter.

He was late for clean-up duty. But he didn't care if he would be scolded and told to stay longer afterwards, as long as he didn't have to go back to practice.

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While one might say "ignorance is bliss", it made Ryoma completely clueless of the fact that Sakuno had made attempts to conclude the chapter of her life that was middle school, and that meant her obsession with Ryoma Echizen.

After years of unrequited feelings, not to mention the lack of acknowledging her presence, Sakuno felt the inclination to move on. It may be hard because she was in the same class with him now, but high school subjects had always kept her occupied and spared no room for any unwanted or wandering thoughts of a particular cat-eyed boy.

Granted, she still admired him greatly for his extraordinary tennis prowess, but many men were talented, like Fuji-senpai and Tezuka-senpai and the rest of the regulars, and her Ryoma-kun seemingly hadn't began to notice her presence at all! Her initial attraction to him had worn off, and now she felt it was time to move on.

She had even quit the tennis club because after two years, she did not think tennis was the right hobby for her, and when she realized she had wanted to play largely because of Ryoma-kun, she decided it was time for a change. In her experience, she discovered that she was naturally attuned to art, and she enjoyed painting and photography immensely. She had even cut her hair because she did not want it to interfere with her painting.

Now that she was in the art club, she did not have a great possibility of seeing Ryoma-kun casually walking by, and it makes moving on all the easier.

Besides, it was only a first crush, and in middle school no less. She did not want to lose his friendship, or any sort of friendliness that he might have felt towards her, but she was confident she'll find someone special who would cherish and love her back, though it might not hold the novelty of a first crush, at least her feelings will be reciprocated.

Feeling satisfied with her decision, Sakuno continued to go about her life, firmly rooted in her conclusion with her old flame whilst being completely unaware of true nature of those nonchalant grunts from Ryoma-kun, and the eager boys from her class always rushing to say good morning and help carry her things.

In her reverie, it suddenly struck her that her grandmother was out of town for three weeks, and had told her that someone was instructed to take her home. She briefly wondered who it would be, and proceeded to clean up her art supplies for the club that day. Whoever it was, she mustn't keep them waiting too long.

She hurried to put her easel away, all thoughts of Ryoma and what he might possibly feel for her forgotten.

You know what they say, "Two halves make a whole idiot".

…And so the wheels continue to turn…

TBC….

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Well, that wraps up how Sakuno will possibly move on to other people, which are to be decided by you!

Please R & R!


	3. Butting Heads

Chapter three: Ghosts

Hello everyone, thank you for your great reviews for my first fanfic! This is a relatively weird chapter and everyone may be somewhat OOC, but it should provide some humor and establish the grounds for more in-depth character relationships.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Please.

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Tezuka glanced at his watch for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. Where was the girl? He knew he should be patient, but even someone with patience a mile wide would've started to wonder.

After all, she was almost an hour late.

Quickly making sure no one was present; Tezuka let out a long sigh, and proceed to wait at the entrance of the school.

Still, it was getting quite dark, and if she's not here in five minutes, he'll have to start looking for her.

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Sakuno glanced up at the giant clock and sighed. Where was whoever was supposed to take her home?

She knew she had always kept others waiting before, often with her grandmother and Ryo…She shook her head furiously, she shouldn't reminisce about old times if she was ever to move on to the future.

But where was that person? She specifically remembered that her grandmother had told her to wait by the door, and she's been standing outside the art club door for almost an hour now!

Whoever he or she is, they must not be very good with punctuality.

Sighing again, she proceeded to wait, but if whoever it was is not here in five minutes, she'll risk getting home herself.

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_Ok, that's it. _

Tezuka has had enough. This waiting has to stop. After all, he had homework to do and tennis to play and people to tell to keep their guards up.

He started to walk back inside the school, hoping he'll find her quickly and go home before the sun sets completely.

His long strides took him to the tennis courts, to the teacher's lounge, to the auditorium, and finally he got the idea to look for the art club.

As he was about to ascend the stairs that led to the art club room, he heard low footsteps and moaning coming from above the stairs.

He halted to a stop. _Who was that? What was that?_

Being raised in a traditional Japanese family and being the stoic captain he was, he did not believe in ghosts, spirits, or ghouls of any kind, but he was, after all, still human. What with the looming shadow in the dim corridor and the low moaning sound, those ghost stories his kasaan had told him in his childhood seemed a little more intimidating.

Still, he was Tezuka, and Tezuka does not believe in ghosts. Right?

Wary of those old ghost stories and what he had overheard the girls in his class gossip about the school being haunted at night, he crept up the stairs cautiously. After all, there is no such thing as keeping your guard up too much.

The shadow was gone all of a sudden, but he could still hear soft moaning sounds from above the stairs.

Hoping to discover the source of the noise, he positioned himself behind the part of the stairs where it turns sharply onto the next floor, and made some ghostlike noises of his own; hoping to scare whatever was there.

He quickly stuck his head out, hoping to find nothing but his imagination running wild.

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_Maybe I should start looking if I want to go home before dark…_

With that thought in mind, Sakuno stood up from her crouching position, gathered her books and equipment, and proceed towards the stairs, hoping whoever it was that was supposed to wait for her was still there.

She only got as far as two steps before she slipped on some of the water on the floor, presumably left over from the afternoon cleanup, and tripped over herself.

_Oww…who forgot to mop all this water off? Such irresponsible cleaning up!_

Rubbing her sore backside, she once again gathered her stuff, and walked towards the stairs, all the while groaning from the pain she felt when she had tripped and landed ungraciously on her butt.

Sakuno had only taken two steps down the stairs when suddenly she heard footsteps from the floor underneath, some soft shuffling sounds, and some distinctly ghost-like noises!

Being the petite girl she was, and possessing an overactive imagination, hundreds of old ghost stories, paintings of ghouls and demons, and just plain scary thoughts flooded her brain.

Still, she has matured over the course of the two years, and that includes building up some courage in the face of something like this.

Shivering slightly, she cautiously crept down the stairs, remindful to stoop close to the rail, and stopped where the stairs took a sharp turn down to the next floor.

She can almost feel the sounds coming from behind that turn, and definitely a presence of something, hopefully someone, nearby.

She quickly stuck her head out, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was there; maybe it really was just her hallucination from having had no food since lunch.

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The impact was more than enough to make both of them reeling back from pain.

Stairs danced around Sakuno's head while Tezuka put his hand up to sooth the now-emerging bump on his head.

Sakuno clutched the part of her forehead that had collided with Tezuka, gently massaging it and urging the burning pain to subside.

"Itai…"

Just now realizing who he had butted heads with, Tezuka stopped.

_Who knew she had such a hard head?_

Ignoring the still throbbing pain, he offer her his hand and helped Sakuno stand upright again.

"Ah! Tezuka-senpai! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Sakuno muttered on and on while furiously blushing and bowing.

_How clumsy of me? Why did it have to be him of all people?!_

A thousand questions ran through her mind while she apologized nonstop, all the while blushing like an over-ripe tomato.

Tezuka watched as a sweat drop threatened to appear on his head. He knew she was shy, but this was starting to become uncomfortable. He was never good with the female species and tennis and school usually did not leave time for him to garner any experience. Besides, the screaming crowd of girls that approached him every time he took a step onto school grounds mostly suppressed any curiosities he might have had.

Clearing his throat, he snapped Sakuno out of her apologetic trance, and she was now staring at him with large brown eyes.

"Ryuzaki, your grandmother has instructed me to help walk you home so that you do not get lost or harmed on your way," he said in his usual impassive voice.

"Ah! She told Tezuka-senpai you?" Sakuno exclaimed, surprised her grandmother would ask something like that of him.

"Yes," Tezuka let out a small sigh, "We should go, it will be dark soon." Already tired from tennis practice, plus his still throbbing forehead, Tezuka was very eager to go home, finish his homework, and crawl into bed. He needed some sleep. Very badly.

"H-hai!" Sakuno hastily followed when Tezuka turned and walked down the stairs.

They proceeded out of the building and crossed the school courtyard before they headed out the door.

All the while, Tezuka felt a pair of eyes on him, but he shrugged it off. Once was enough. Besides, his forehead was still hurting. Maybe, he thought, just maybe, there is such a thing as keeping your guard up too much.

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Ryoma watched Tezuka and Sakuno leave the school grounds. Usually, he wouldn't have paid the slightest attention to either, but this time, they were together.

_Together_ That thought, for some reason, did not sit well with Ryoma's mind.

_Why is buchou walking Ryuzaki home? Why didn't she ask me?_

Irritated by the sight, especially after he had just woken up from a nap trying to skip cleanup duty, Ryoma fumingly turned and walked back towards the classroom to gather his belongings.

He saw the bucket he had left out in the hall way still on the ground, and that the water had spilled out of it. There were some wet footprints, and some wet skid marks that looked like someone had fell.

_So that's the crash that woke me up. I wonder where those footprints came from. Someone must've fallen…oh well. _

Still fuming, Ryoma gathered up the mop and the bucket, and cleaned the spilled water from the floor, which he should have done hours ago if he didn't skip to take a nap.

Having done the last of his duty, Ryoma collected his school and tennis bags, and walked off the school grounds, mind still on why Sakuno was walking with his buchou.

Halfway home, a small thought dawned on him. Could he be jealous? No way. But he had always only wanted to keep perverts away from Sakuno in return for her bentos, right? Buchou wasn't a pervert, right?

_I certainly hope so…_

Ryoma compromised with his subconscious by saying that every man could be a pervert, even his buchou. So he wondering about Sakuno and Tezuka is nothing out of the ordinary, just him looking out for her in return for her favors.

Once again satisfied with his logic, he squashed that small voice telling him that maybe he cares for Sakuno more than that, and continued his walk wondering if his oyaji will put down those pervert magazines today and play a game with him.

Still, he was disturbed by what he had seen, but just chose to feign ignorance. After all, it wasn't his business, maybe he's just worried that once buchou gets a girlfriend, he won't play tennis as seriously anymore.

But the thought of Sakuno potentially dating Tezuka just disturbed him even more. Realizing he was only thinking himself into a headache, he clutched his head, urging those un-tennis-but-Ryuzaki-related thoughts to go away. Now he doesn't even want to play a game anymore. He just needed sleep. Badly.

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Sakuno had bid Tezuka goodbye at her door, and he had replied with his usual "don't let your guard down."

She just sweat-dropped and told him she won't, and thanked him for his troubles.

Once he was gone, she closed the door and leaned on it heavily.

What a day! Her back was still hurting, her head still throbbing, and she was still hungry.

She moaned, and hoped that it won't be like this tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to eat something and crawl into bed. She needed some sleep, quite badly.

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…around and around it goes, what's next? Nobody knows…the wheel of fate turns, delighting in its own twist sense of humor….


	4. Of Bento and Discoveries

**Of Bento and Discoveries**

**A/N:** Hello~ Sorry about the late update, but I wanted to make it a quality fic, so I had to think…a lot. Yeah, unfortunately my muse doesn't like to live with me and files for separation quite often. Oh well, hope you enjoy this chapter! Many of you opted for Tezusaku, so here's some…interaction. XD The final pairing is still TCA.

**Disclaimer:** I _wish_ I own Fuji, but unfortunately, neither the mountain nor the character belong to me. The mountains probably belong to the Japanese government, and the character belongs to Konomi-sensei.

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Sakuno opened her eyes and glanced groggily at the clock on her nightstand.

_7:15_, the clock read, and Sakuno closed her eyes one more time, not realizing the time and wanting to continue that dream about the cats and onigiri*…

Her eyes snapped open and she shot out of bed like a bullet. Eyes wide in panic, she realized that she was suppose to meet Tezuka-senpai at 6:50 so that he could escort her to school and make it in time for morning practice.

She glanced out her window, and saw the stoic-looking young man standing by the gate of her house, occasionally casting glances at her door and then his watch.

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap_! She scrambled to the bathroom to brush her teeth and clean up, only to trip over her own feet, and landed in a heap of clothes.

Gee, first trip of the day. That's a new record for so early in the morning.

Realizing what she was doing, she quickly got up and got ready in what she hoped was something akin to the speed of light.

Oh dear, she hoped Tezuka-senpai doesn't make her run laps…

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There was an end to patience, even for him.

Where was she? He had told her to meet him outside her house before 7 so he could walk her to school like his grandmother asked him, and make it to practice on time.

Now he was already 10 minutes late. His headache came back with increasing intensity as he could only imagine what those no-good teammates of his are doing…and worse, speculating.

His mind briefly wandered from how he was going to die early to how many laps he can legally assign without authorization for torture, he heard the doorknob wiggling, and walked up to the door.

…only to have a heap of brown hair fly toward him and knock him back with a thump.

Then came the flying unidentified object…oh dear…

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"Itai…" Sakuno briefly wondered 3 things.

Why in the world is she so clumsy that she would trip over herself while trying to put on her shoes?

If the bento she made for Tezuka-senpai as a thank you gift for walking her and waiting so much is intact from such impact with the ground.

Why is the ground so soft?

She glanced downward momentarily, only to freeze in both agonizing embarrassment and absolute horror when she realized that she had not only knocked down her senpai, but discovered the whereabouts of her bento at the same time.

Apparently the bento had flown out of her hand as she fell and the lid came open in the air, and the contents, obediently following the laws of gravity, came to rest, along with the bottom of the box…

…right on Tezuka's head.

Oh boy she was dead.

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Tezuka's eyebrow twitched.

While the bento certainly smelled good, he had wished he could have eaten it instead of wearing it. He was never one to make the fashion statement, and this added to the fact that he was just another 5 minutes later to practice…

…actually made him crack a smile. Not the happy kind, of course, but the bitter and sadistic kind that would have made Fuji pale in comparison.

Sakuno could only stare in horror as several emotions chased themselves across Tezuka's face, and almost fainted when she saw him smile in a way that made her blood run cold.

He wasn't looking at her, of course, but he was thinking of his oh-so-dear teammates and how he was going to run them into the ground today to relieve his headache.

Maybe Fuji was on to something after all, the thought of torturing his team was actually quite relaxing. Perhaps the captain had finally found his calling…much to the later horror of his team.

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Sakuno was both amazed and horrified by the look on Tezuka's face when she realized that she had been sitting on him for the past five minutes, after which she proceed to do what she was best as: flush as red as a tomato, quickly get up and as far away as possible, then proceed to apologize profusely. An everyday routine that she had become accustomed to around Ryoma.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She dearly hoped she would die by her senpai's hand. Tezuka wouldn't kill her right? But that last expression on his face gave her some reasonable doubts…

Tezuka, after coming to terms with his sadism, quickly stopped Sakuno, and made to clean himself up.

"It is fine, Ryuzaki, but don't let your guard down again."

"Yes sir!" She shot him a salute, and if it weren't for the fact that he was Tezuka Kunimitsu, he would have sweat-dropped.

"Let's go, I have some interesting plans for team today."

"Hai, senpai!"

Sakuno naively wondered what those plans were, and quietly giggle at the thought of the tennis team without its captain. The club was probably in a mass of chaos by now…

Tezuka nodded, the sadistic side of him even chuckled a little on the inside. The quicker they got to school, the better…it seems even the buchou has a devil on the other shoulder.

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_With strings taut, the wheel continues to spin, weaving the intricate fabric of fate…_

_TBC_-----------------------------

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, everyone! _ I had absolutely no idea where I was going to take the plot, but reading your reviews has really pumped me up! Thanks again for being such awesome readers!

For now, I'm going to keep developing Sakuno's relationships with the other characters, but too bad Ryoma couldn't appear in this chapter! Everything will soon fall into place…I hope. :P

Please Review for some cookies~ 3


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